Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has expressed hopes for the furtherance of co-operation with Romania in light of the constructive and positive steps taken by the two countries over the past few years.
The president’s remarks came during his meeting on Sunday with the visiting Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, Presidency spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said.
Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, and Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir attended the meeting. Also taking part in the meeting from the Romanian side were Economy Minister Florin Marian Spataru and Bucharest’s ambassador to Cairo Mihai Stefan Stuparu.
At the outset of the meeting, President Sisi welcomed the Romanian prime minister’s visit and lauded the historical ties between the two countries now in their 117th year since their inception, Spokesman Fahmy said.
Noting the constructive steps that have been taken to bolster bilateral relations, President Sisi referred to his visit to Bucharest in June 2019, followed by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’s visit to Cairo in October 2021 and his participation in the work of the world climate summit (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh in November lat year.
For his part, the Romanian prime minister conveyed to President Sisi greetings from President Iohannis, and stressed keenness on carrying on with coordination and consultation in light of Egypt’s pivotal role in laying the foundations for stability and security in the Middle East and Africa, Presidency Spokesman Fahmy said.
The visiting Romanian prime minister also voiced hopes for promoting bilateral ties in various fields, particularly economy and trade, as well as exchanging expertise and encouraging joint investments in sectors with competitive advantage in both countries.
In this regard, the discussions reflected accord of views on the importance of holding the next session of the Egyptian-Romanian higher committee as soon as possible, Spokesman Fahmy said.
The discussions, he added, also dealt with co-operation in the field of energy in light of keenness by both countries to diversify and secure their sources of energy especially given the Russian-Ukrainian crisis that has entailed relevant global challenges, the spokesman said.
A number of regional issues, foremost of which the Palestinian cause and Egypt’s efforts to achieve calm between the Israelis and Palestinians sides were considered during the meeting, with the two sides agreeing on the importance of intensifying efforts to find a just and comprehensive solution in line with the resolutions of the international legitimacy, Spokesman Fahmy said.
Also considered during the meeting were the developments of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its political, economic and humanitarian repercussions at the global level.
In this context, President Sisi expressed Egypt’s appreciation for Romania’s reception of Egyptian students who had to leave Ukraine and facilitating their return home, Spokesman Fahmy said.
